


Stupid Serendipity

by Tsubaka



Category: National Football League RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Arguing, Breakups, Eli is an excitable dorky brother, Eventual Smut, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff, Hate to Love, Julian is a stubborn butthead, Luke is an asshole, M/M, Miscellaneous other football players are here, Miscellaneous other ships, One-Sided Attraction, Parody, Past Peyton/Luke, Past Relationship(s), Peyton/Julian rivalry, Rob loves the work 'dork', Typical High Schools tropes for everyone, everyone is practically an old high schooler so they act like high schoolers, pretty boy Tom, social outcast Peyton
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-05-26 12:13:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6238291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsubaka/pseuds/Tsubaka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>-High School AU-</p><p>Tom Brady, AKA the "Pretty Boy". Smart, funny, popular, athletic, and most of all, handsome. He rules over the school of Gridiron High with a strong social fist and it causes all of the other men attending the school to love him, lust after him, or be envious of him. </p><p>But then, Tom's perfect world is shaken when he lays eyes on Peyton Manning, a social outcast and a not-too-well-liked guy to his classmates. Tom falls in love and tries to actively pursue Peyton, even if it meant being rejected. </p><p>Along the way, his perfect world begins to fall apart more with his friends and peers going through different situations. Tom will have to weave his way through these dilemmas in order to get the one thing he truly wants: to hold Peyton in his arms out of equal love. </p><p>~"I don't care how long it takes. I will get you to fall in love with me, Peyton Manning, because I've fallen in love with you."~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hello

**Author's Note:**

> This came out of nowhere, TBH. Maybe it was because I've been on a "One Tree Hill" high lately and all of the romance it has is just so cute and it led me to this idea and...gahhhhhhh!! I just can't XD
> 
> Disclaimer is the disclaimer. I only own the idea.
> 
> FOREWARNING: Everyone has been made to fit a high school stereotype of some sort. I know these guys don't actually act like this, so think of them as high schoolers with them retaining their age and current appearances. I don't believe any of them act this way, they are only acting this way for the story and what character type they were chosen as. Just a heads-up.

"Hey, Tommy!"

"Yo, Tom, what's up?"

"How's it hanging, Brady?"

"Dude, hey!"

In Gridiron High School, those were calls that were frequent if Tom Brady was walking down the main hallway. In the school, there was a title one person can achieve; the "Pretty Boy" title. This person exudes intelligence, popularity, athleticism, kindness, and most of all beauty.

It just so happened that Tom had all those qualities and then some, which is how he earned and maintained this title.

"Tom!" A hand waved in the air as three guys stood in front of a row of small blue and yellow lockers. One guy was tall and wore shades, one had coiffed dark brown hair, and the last one had slick back dirty blonde hair. All wore the same outfit: a red tie with a white shirt and blue blazer with yellow plaid pants. The standard uniform.

"Gronk, Jules, Danny!" Tom waved back as he walked towards them quickly. "Hey!"

"'Sup, man?" Danny asked as he pulled Tom in for an arm hug.

"Not much. How are you guys?" Tom asked back.

"We're doing great. Rob...Gronk's a nervous wreck though." Danny laughed.

"Hey, it's the first day back here!" Rob protested. "There will be new rookies attending and we have to show them who's in control here."

"And did you come up with that?" Tom asked.

"No, Julian did." Rob pointed over to Julian, who blushed out of embarrassment.

"You came up with that, Jules?" Danny asked. "I'm surprised."

"Why?" Julian blushed harder. "I just want to help Tom maintain his title, that's all. I like the spot we're all in."

"Really. And weren't you the one who was against the social ladder here?" Rob snickered.

"What is this? 'Pick on Jules' day?" Julian asked. "And besides, I changed my mind on it. Also, keep this up and you won't have me here."

"C'mon, Jules!" Rob whined. "You're the smartest guy out of us all! Don't do that to us!"

"Yeah!" Danny agreed. "You should know we're just screwing around with you!"

"I know, but it's always fun to screw around with you guys."

"Okay, okay, guys." Tom waved his hands down. "Relax, relax. Julian isn't going anywhere and it's okay to be nervous. It's the beginning of the year."

"And...?" Danny gave a confused look.

"There's going to be new guys coming in, and we have to uphold our reputation of being at the top of the ladder."

"And by 'we' you mean 'you'?" Rob asked.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"And by holding up your reputation, you're gonna sweep more guys off of their feet for one date?" Julian asked.

"Bingo. I figured they should get used to me by going out with me. Then I test the waters again like I have been." Tom answered with a confident smirk. "It's time I get on the hunt again."

"We'll see you off, Sir Tom!" Rob saluted as Tom turned around and began to walk away. He stopped suddenly.

"Tom?!" Danny asked quickly as he, Julian and Rob rushed to their friend. "You okay?!"

"Who is... _that?_ " Tom slowly pointed to another guy who was at his locker. He wore the standard uniform pants but instead wore a collared blue shirt under a clean white pullover sweater.

"Him?" Julian pointed out. "That's Peyton Manning. He's not too social and likes to keep to himself, but the man is _intelligent_. I had most of my classes with him last year and he's always getting the highest grade on...anything. I don't like him."

"Yeah, because Peyton is smarter than you are." Rob laughed. "But I know Peyton too. Danny and I had PE with him."

"No, dude, that was his brother we had PE with." Danny rebutted.

"Oh yeah...Eli." Rob nodded slowly. "He's kind of a dork."

"Yeah..."

"Guys!" Tom shouted to shut them up. "That's not the point! The point is... _him_..."

"Tom," Julian walked in front of Tom. "Are you okay? Are you sure you want to..."

"Shut up and move!" Tom shoved Julian and walked over to where Peyton was. As the man closed his locker, he looked over to see Tom right next to him.

"Hey." Tom greeted with a hard smirk. He was answered with Peyton reopening his locker. As it opened, Tom shoved it closed, which caused Peyton to jump back slightly.

"I'm Tom Brady."

"I know who you are, _Pretty Boy_." Peyton stated coldly. "What do you want?"

"I want to say hi. Can't someone say hello to someone else they find attractive?" Tom asked coolly.

"Sure, if you want to use the person for something."

"Ouch, that's pretty cold."

"Deal with it." Peyton spoke bluntly as he turned and walked away from Tom. Tom, with a clear blush on his face, ran towards Peyton and cut off his path.

"Hey, don't go yet!" Tom huffed. "Uh, do you want to...you know...go out with me?"

"Ugh..." Peyton rolled his eyes.

"It can be anywhere you want to go!" Tom spoke quickly. "We could go to the library or to a café or even to the park! Just the two of us! Doesn't that sound good to you?"

"Look, Tom." Peyton looked down and smiled slightly. "I know what you're trying to do."

"You know that I'm trying to go out on a date with you?"

"No. You're trying to do what you've done to other guys; you're going to ask me out, hope I'm stupid enough to agree, and then never talk to me afterwards. Well, news flash, Tom, I'm not stupid and I'm not interested. Now goodbye."

"Whoa." Tom blocked Peyton from leaving and held onto both of his wrists. "Don't go yet!"

"Get out of my way!" Peyton grunted angrily as he tried to break free. "Let go, damnit!"

"No! Just say 'yes', goddammit!" Tom shouted, and Peyton kept resisting.

"Tom, stop it! Stop!"

"Tom!" Rob, Julian, and Danny called as Tom was yanked back, releasing Peyton. As he swiftly walked away, Tom tried to push through his three friends towards Peyton.

"What the fuck, guys?!" Tom shouted angrily. He backed off from pushing. "Why did you do that?!"

"You were out of line, you dipshit!" Danny spat. "You were borderline going to get in trouble!"

"How..."

"If you kissed him, it probably would've been sexual harassment." Julian added. "And that's a criminal offense."

"Guys, c'mon, relax." Tom laughed slightly. "Nothing really happened that would've gotten me in trouble."

"Yeah, cut Tom some slack here." Rob agreed. "Potential offense or not, people are still going to see Tom as the God he is. But, Tom..."

"Yeah?" Tom answered as Rob, Julian, and Danny stood in front of him.

"...How do you feel?"

"How do I feel?"

"Yeah, like, aside from the anguish from a few seconds before, how do you feel?"

"Well..." Tom pondered. "I feel a little giddy, kinda sexual, and all around...bubbly. Why're you asking?"

"You feel bubbly...? Oh my God..." Danny gasped slightly, and Rob and Julian shared his sentiment.

"What? Guys, what's the problem?!" Tom asked, growing flustered.

"Tom, remember a certain vow you made when we first became the top of the social ladder?" Rob asked.

"That I'd never fall in love with anyone here? Yeah, why?"

"Well...um, you just broke that vow."

"...Pffft, what?" Tom laughed. "I didn't break my vow."

"Yeah, you did." Julian stated. "Tom...you're in love...with Peyton."

"I...I'm not...I'm not in love." Tom spoke with a tone of guilt.

"Yes, you are." Danny argued. "Dude, with every guy you've gone out with, you've never acted like that with any of them."

"Yeah." Rob nodded.

"I...I'm in love...I'm legitimately _in love_..."

"Yep..." Julian sighed. "You're in love...with Peyton Manning."

"Is...that bad?" Tom asked, looking directly at Julian. 

"Well...being in love with _Peyton_ isn't really a bad thing since Peyton isn't _necessarily_ a bad guy..." Julian answered with a certain emphasis. "...but being in love is still kinda bad for you."

"And the reason he won't love me back...is because of what I've done in the past!" Tom realized in an upset tone. "Guys...I...how can I make this right?"

"Well..." Danny thought. "My best advice would be to let Peyton learn about the real you, and then you both can make judgements."

"Both?"

"Yeah." Rob nodded. "Peyton can make a judgment on if he can like and trust you or not, and you can see if it's true love or not."

"Good point." Tom nodded. "Uh, one issue though...where did he go?"

* * *

" _History of Sports Creations_...no." Peyton muttered to himself as he ran his fingers across the spines of different books in the library. " _The First Founder of the First Sport_...no. _Sports Theatrics_...definitely not..."

"Hey..."

" _Oof!"_ Peyton ran his side into something that didn't feel like a bookcase. Looking to his side, he made a face at what, or who, he ran into.

"So we meet again."

"Tom..." Peyton sighed under his breath. "I already told you I'm not interested. _At all._ So, please, go away."

"Hey, hold on." Tom spoke coolly as he wrapped an arm around Peyton's waist. He was hopeful Peyton didn't feel the hand on his hip. "You know, you never told me your name."

"That's because you don't need to know my name." Peyton replied smugly. "Last thing I need is my name in your book of one-date wonders."

"Smart, gorgeous, _and_ clever. You're the total package." Tom cooed softly. "The only thing I need now is your name."

"And the only thing _I_ need is to get away from you." Peyton pushed Tom back and started to walk away.

"Hey, if you tell me your name, I'll leave."

That stopped Peyton in his tracks. He turned around and walked back to Tom.

"Fine. Hi, Tom, my name is Peyton Manning." Peyton outstretched his hand, to which Tom took it and shook it. "If you were to call me something, call me Peyton. A nickname would be fine as well, but I really prefer my full first name."

" _Peyton_...that name sounds so _sexy_..."

"Hey, didn't you say you were going to leave? Get out! Leave me alone like you promised!"

"But Peyton..."

"No, go away!" Peyton turned to walk away, but Tom grabbed his wrist again. However, when he tried to turn Peyton around, the two fell down onto the library floor. Peyton's legs were spread out and Tom's knees rested between them.

"Well, this is _quite_ an interesting position..." Tom smirked, and Peyton couldn't help but look away with a moderate blush on his face.

"Shut. Up." Peyton snapped.

"Aw, come on, bab-Peyton..." Tom whined playfully.

"Well, well, _well_." A voice came from across the bookcase hall. Tom and Peyton looked over to see a face they both knew and that Tom disliked.

"Luke Kuechly." Tom spat angrily.

"You know this guy?" Peyton asked, looking back at Tom.

"Stay out of it, loser." Luke glared down at Peyton.

"Hey!" Tom growled loudly, beginning to stand up. "Don't you _ever_ call Peyton a loser. If anything, _you're_ the loser here, Luke."

"Whatever, Tom." Luke scoffed. "All I know is that I was snubbed of my rightful title as the 'Pretty Boy' of the school."

"Yeah, right. You couldn't even earn that title even if you're the last man on Earth."

"You wanna go, Brady?!" Luke spat.

"The question is, do _you_ wanna go?" Tom retorted.

"Hell yeah, and to make it interesting, if I win..." Out of the corner of his eye, Luke watched as Peyton sat up against the nearby bookshelf. He was still behind Tom.

"...I get to fuck your little boyfriend right in front of you and he belongs to me."

"I'm _not_ his boyfriend!" Peyton protested, his face turning a bright red color.

"Fine. You're on, Kuechly." Tom snorted. "Come at me."

"Cool. Here I come!" Luke shouted as he ran towards Tom, who raised his hand and shaped it into a fist.

" _Stop!"_  

Luke and Tom looked behind each other to see Rob, Julian, and Danny surrounding them. Julian and Danny were blocking off Luke's side as Rob helped Peyton to his feet, one hand securely around his waist as the other hand held onto Peyton's own.

"What the fuck?!" Luke roared as he turned and glared at Julian and Danny. "What was that for?!"

"Beat it, Kuechly." Danny spat. "We don't need your sorry ass here."

"Yeah, and we'll be happy to show you out." Julian added as he and Danny took Luke by his arms and walked him out as if he was a prisoner. Tom rushed over to Rob and Peyton while they were gone.

"Are you okay?!" Tom asked in worry, looking at Peyton. At that moment, Rob let his hands drop to his side.

"I'm fine." Peyton huffed. "Thanks for getting me into that mess, Tom. I'll be forever grateful."

"...Hey, where are you going?" Tom asked as he saw Peyton fling his stuff over his shoulder.

"Home. I've had enough of this for one day." As Peyton walked through the library doors, Tom chased him.

"Peyton, wait up!"

"What?" Peyton sighed, crossing his arms.

"I want...you to know...I love you. I want to be yours and for you to be mine."

"Tom, I..."

"I don't care what it takes. You will fall in love with me, Peyton Manning, because I've fallen in love with you."

"Good luck with that." Peyton waved off as he walked to the front doors. Tom smiled as he walked off.

"He's so in love with me." Tom muttered happily to himself. "He just doesn't really know it yet. Just you wait, Peyton. I'll make sure that you're mine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one will try to be updated weekly, if not bi-weekly. Let me know what you thought and stay tuned for more! :)


	2. The Grand Prize

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm aware I updated "White Sheets, Bright Lights" a day early, and this will be updated a day early. I'll be on a vacation with my family for the rest of the week, and hopefully I actually make it back (things are rocky to say the least).
> 
> But don't mind that. Enjoy! :)

"4:38 AM. Another sleepless night." Tom mumbled as his head rested on the desk in his bedroom. He knew he should be asleep in bed, but the dreams he had seen were keeping him up for nights on end. 

"Goddammit, why?!" Tom growled loudly, taking his pillow and tossing it across the room. "Why can't I stop dreaming about Peyton?! What the hell am I doing to myself?!"

He sat down on his bed in a dejected manner and began to think to himself. What if his dreams were a sign to him that, one day, he and Peyton would be together?

It didn't help that what Tom dreamt about would not be suitable to explain to anyone much younger than him.

Laying down on his bed, Tom yawned and stretched. He relaxed his body and stared intently at his bedroom ceiling, hoping an answer would come to him. 

He had Peyton almost in his arms at two points earlier in the week: when they first met and in the school library. The only Tom wished would've happened was Luke disappearing from when he saw them.

 _Damn cockblocker._ Tom thought bitterly. Getting in my way. _If he thinks he can stop me from getting who I want, then he's in for a world of hurt._

Tom turned to lay on his side. _Gronk, Danny, and Jules...they support me on this. Who does Luke have? No one, that's who. That bastard must think he can woo Peyton more than I would ever be able to do, but he'll lose. I'll be the one winning Peyton over...and I'll make sure Luke knows that._

* * *

"Hey, Kuechly!" 

"What?" Luke looked behind him to see Tom stomping towards him. Luke scrunched his nose up in disgust. "What do you want, Brady?"

"For you to leave Peyton alone."

"You want me to leave Peyton alone?" Luke smirked. "Why? Do you like him? Does the _Pretty Boy_ AKA _Mister Fuckboy_ have a legitimate crush on someone?"

"Wha...Why do you care?!" Tom's face grew red. "I just want you to leave him alone. And who're you calling a fuckboy? Last I checked you were the _royal_ fuckboy."

"Shut up or I'll pop your teeth in." Luke growled, his eyes blazing. 

"Whatever." Tom rolled his eyes. "Just promise me you'll stay away from Peyton, okay?"

"Wait, why should I? I should be entitled to talk to him too. Besides, I've known him longer than you have. I can have any fucking privilege I want with Peyton."

"So your bet over him when we were going to fight in the library?" Tom crossed his arms. "You call that a privilege?"

"So I can't fuck him in front of you and make him mine for eternity? Well, I guess I got the message now, _Mom_. Sorry for having a fantasy." Luke rolled his eyes as he spoke.

"A fantasy of making Peyton your personal prostitute is not a privilege, you fucking idiot." Tom spat. "It's gross and demeaning. And so is planning to have sex with him right in front of me."

"You wanna know something, Tom?" Luke asked.

"What?" Tom asked.

"Fuck you." Luke answered, a sour tone in his voice. "I know you have a 'craving' for Peyton. There's no way in hell that I'll leave you alone to win his heart. Have fun trying to impress him, because all you'll get is rejection, and I'll laugh my ass off when he does it in front of everyone."

"Hey, Luke?" Tom asked.

"Yeah?"

"Fuck you too, and I don't care. Peyton can reject me as many times as he wants, but I'll still hold my heart out for him to have and love."

"You're fucking delusional, Tom." Luke shook his head. "Peyton won't be yours. He won't ever be yours. He doesn't like you, so why can't you get that through your thick, ugly skull?!"

"Shut up! And how do you know that about Peyton?!" Tom growled.

"Peyton...he...it's old news." Luke concluded as he started to walk away from Tom.

"What does that mean?" Tom called.

"It's old news, Brady... _he's_ old news."

 _Old news?_ Tom scratches his head. _Peyton's old news to Luke? What does that mean...?_

" _Hey, Tom!_ "

"Guys?" Tom asked, looking over at Danny, Rob, and Julian, whose hand was in the air. He swiftly walked over to them and greeted them accordingly with arm hugs. 

"Hey, man." Danny spoke up in a serious tone. "Why were you conversing with the enemy?"

"Why was I talking with Luke?" Tom repeated.

"Yeah."

"I wanted him to stay away from Peyton." Tom answered, and his three friends exchanged glances with one another. 

"Uh, why did you tell him to stay away from Peyton?" Rob asked.

"So that he simply doesn't interfere."

"You _idiot!_ " Julian clamored. "That's gonna make Luke want to pursue Peyton! You just kicked yourself in the ass. Way to go."

"What? No, I didn't." Tom shook his head and crossed his arms. "I made it clear to Kuechly that he should not be near Peyton at all, and he understood."

"He did?" Danny asked. "Wow, I guess he's a good liar after all."

"What are you guys going on about?" Tom asked loudly. "There's nothing to worry about!"

"Tom, you just threw your crush into the fiery depths of hell."

"And how did I do that?"

"You told Luke you liked him."

"What." Tom deadpanned. "What could Luke possibly do to Peyton?"

"Well, for starters, Luke could hurt him." Rob began.

"Or publicly embarrass him." Danny added.

"Maybe even sexually abuse him...?" Julian followed up. Danny looked at him and mouthed the word 'rape'. "Oh...he could rape Peyton."

"Thank you!" Danny threw his hands up.

"I was trying to be scientifically correct!" 

"Well, you..."

" _Hey!_ " Tom shouted. He looked from Danny to Julian to Rob. "Larry, Moe, Curly."

Tom took a deep breath in. "I appreciate your input on me blindly disclosing..."

"Telling..." Julian corrected.

" _Disclosing_...my love towards Peyton to Luke. However, guys, I don't need you to tell me if my choices were good or bad. I'm a big boy and I can make my own big boy choices. Don't worry about me."

"Tom...where are you going?" Julian asked, watching Tom walk away.

"Peyton..." Tom mumbled as he stared at Peyton with a loving gaze. The look then shattered when he saw Peyton hug another guy. " _Hey!_ "

" _Tom!_ " Danny, Rob, and Julian called as they watched Tom storm towards Peyton and the other person with him. " _Wait!_ "

"Uh, Peyton?" Tom asked asked he walked up to Peyton, a concerned look on his face.

"Oh, great. You're back." Peyton rolled his eyes. "What do you want?"

"Um, who's this?" Tom pointed to the guy. Peyton wrapped an arm around the guy's shoulders.

"This is _my brother_ , Eli. Eli," Peyton looked from the guy, Eli, back to Tom. "this is Tom Brady."

"The Pretty Boy?" Eli asked, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah." Peyton answered.

"It's nice to meet you, Pret... _Tom_." Eli stretched his hand out, took Tom's hand and shook it. "I'm Elisha, but you can call me Eli. I'm Peyton's little brother."

"Oh, well, nice to meet you, Eli." Tom smiled. He looked over at Peyton. "So, you're a big brother? That sounds pretty amazing."

"Shut up." Peyton rolled his eyes. "Don't you have to be over there with your friends?"

"Eh, they can wait. I was hoping that we can talk one on one." Tom smirked, hoping Peyton would get his message. Peyton groaned and rolled his eyes again. 

"Fine." Peyton answered in a dejected tone before turning to Eli. "I'll see you later at home, okay?"

"Okay. Love you." Eli responded as he hugged Peyton. Peyton hugged him back and kissed Eli on the cheek before seeing him walk off. His attention shifted back to Tom.

"So..." Tom began.

"What? What do you want to talk about?" Peyton asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, I really want to tell you that..."

"...He has nothing to say." The two guys looked behind Tom to see Danny and Julian standing behind Rob. The three were all standing nearby. They then started to move closer.

Julian placed a hand on Tom's shoulder. "Tom didn't mean to come and bother you, Peyton. _He had no idea what he was doing._ "

"I'd say the same for any of his advances on me." Peyton replied. He looked at Tom. "You're a lunatic. Leave me alone."

As he watched Peyton walk off towards the school library, Tom tried to break away from his friends.

"Peyton! Baby! Come back! Please!"

\---

"I feel like I've already searched this shelf..." Peyton muttered to himself ad he moved his fingers from book spine to book spine, examining the books on the current shelf he faced. "Aren't there any new additions?"

"Maybe they might be looking for a new coat rack."

"I guess..." Peyton mumbled as he looked to the source of the voice. Hie eyes widened at the sight of Luke standing nearby.

"Manning." Luke stated.

"Kuechly." Peyton echoed back.

"Peyton."

"Luke."

"What are you doing here?" Luke asked, putting his hands in his front pants pockets.

"Reading. It's a library, stupid." Peyton answered. "Maybe you should stick around. I'm sure the wheels in that lunky head of yours might _actually_ turn."

"Heh, look at you, being so bold. You were never like that when you were with me." Luke began to approach Peyton slowly. "You were scrawny, weak, most timid thing anyone had ever seen. Then we met and you gained more than you ever had. I even helped out your stupid brother."

"Don't you _ever_ call him stupid." Peyton snapped. 

"I can say whatever the hell I want." Luke snapped. When he stood inches away from Peyton, he took ahold of Peyton's wrists and squeezed them. "With me or not, you're _still_ an _insignificant_ piece of _shit_. You only cause more problems for people and you don't deserve to be here. I hope Tom gets shot down by you so that he can see how much of an asshole you really are. Then you'll be all alone after you then hurt your brother and don't know you did. I hope you rot in hell, Peyton. You're scum, worthless, the most useless human being on the planet."

"Mmph...mmf..." Peyton whined quietly as he heard more derogatory terms fly put of Luke's mouth, his wrists still under Luke's grip. He desperately tried to ignore them, but the words were winning this war.

"Oh, look at poor Peyton, crying like a baby." Luke whined in a mocking tone. "Here, let me help you!" With a mighty shove, Luke thrusted Peyton into the wooden side of one of the library bookcases. He forced the immense pain and pressure onto Peyton's head as Luke watched Peyton slump downward.

"There." Luke smirked as he looked into Peyton's brightened green eyes. "Isn't that better?"

"Fuck...you..." Peyton hissed, hiccups of pain in between his speech. He coughed occasionally.

"Whatever." Luke scoffed. "Get out of here. I'll get the janitor to clean your slop up."

Peyton slowly got up and and walked out of the library at a quick pace. As he left, he walked by Tom. 

"Hey, Peyton!" Tom called, chasing after him. He latched onto Peyton's wrist and turned him around.

"What?! What the fuck do you want?!" Peyton shouted.

"Are you okay...?" Tom wondered out loud, looking at the blood still prominent on Peyton's head.

"I'm fine. Now leave me alone!"

"Peyton..."

" _Let go!_ " Peyton screamed, yanking his wrist away from Tom. He stormed out of the school, leaving Tom alone in the halls.

"Peyton... _Luke!_ " Tom growled loudly, his eyes darted at the library as he watched Luke leave.

 _I thought I told you to stay away, Kuechly._ Tom thought as he kept his glare towards Luke. _But you lied, and this isn't over. You're going down big time._

"Hey, Luke!" Tom walked over to him, his hands out. "Didn't I tell you something earlier?"

"Yeah. You told me 'fuck you'."

"Well, other than that. I told you to stay away from Peyton."

"Whoops. I lied." Luke shrugged. "I just talked with him in the library. That's all."

"And your talk involved his head bleeding?"

"He wasn't listening, that's all." Luke spoke bluntly. "Peyton's fine. You're acting like I raped him and that he limped out of there crying. He looked pretty pissed off to me."

"You..."

"I gotta go, loser. See you around, Brady." Luke closed his locker and walked off. Tom stood there, his face red.

 _Yeah._ Tom thought hotly. _And the next time we meet, your ass is being kicked so hard you won't be able to sit down for at least a whole week. You're going to fucking pay for what you fucking did, Kuechly. You better count on that._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we have the Tom/Luke bitterness and a possible Peyton/Luke history? (Well, yeah, if the tags mean anything) And now Eli comes in as well as Rob, Danny, and Julian being those friends that try to divert you from stupid mistakes (because those are good to have)! What next?
> 
> I hope you enjoyed and let me know what you thought of it too! :)


	3. Deliberation

"He did _what?_ " Rob asked out loud as he sat on the couch next to Danny. Julian sat on the nearby recliner as the three watched Tom pace back and forth in front of them in the living room of Tom's house.

"Luke beat Peyton. I know it. I saw the blood on his head and how upset he was. You usually aren't like that unless someone beat you with their bare hands."

"Wow. What a jackass." Danny shook his head. "I mean, I don't expect anything less from Luke because he's Luke, but still, that's a douche move to beat someone."

"Yeah, and just because he 'didn't listen'." Rob added, providing air quotes with his fingers. "That ass is a fucking liar. Peyton was probably listening fine but Luke must've thought he did something wrong. And then came the physical assault Peyton didn't deserve."

"I agree completely." Danny nodded. "Luke is trash; that's all he is and that's all he'll ever be."

"Yeah." Tom nodded contently. "But still, guys, I feel bad about what happened to Peyton. It hurt to see him so distraught and injured the way he was. What should I do?"

"Do what a sensible and empathetic person would do; check up on him." Danny answered. "Go up to him tomorrow and ask him point-blank 'Are you doing okay?'."

"That'll show Peyton that you really care for him and his well-being, which would make Peyton ease his guard a little bit." Rob followed up. "He won't lower it a great amount, but you'll catch him off-guard, I'm sure."

"Hmm, I see..." Tom thought out loud. He shifted his gaze over to Julian. "What do you think I should do, Jules?"

"If I were you, I wouldn't talk to him at all." Julian responded, leaning back in the recliner. "I mean, he doesn't like you, so why bother?"

"Uh, maybe you don't understand me, Julian." Tom shot a look at his friend. "I am _in love_ with Peyton. I care about him. Why would I say I care about him but not ask him about his well-being?"

"Because he hates you?" Julian replied. "Because he wouldn't want to have you around and you know it? Tom, look, you're...my best friend. And I don't want you getting hurt. Peyton doesn't like you, and he won't ever like you in the way that you like him. You have to accept that."

"I get where you're coming from, Jules," Rob spoke up. "but Tom is also our friend, and he really does care about Peyton and his well-being. He genuinely loves him. Why can't you be supportive of Tom for someone he's officially fallen in love with and cares about?"

"Because his crush _hates_ him." Julian argued. "Peyton doesn't like Tom!" He shifted his gaze from Rob to Tom. "Every time, every time, you go up to him, he rolls his eyes at what you say to him. He also gets annoyed with your presence and your requests. Face it, Tom; Peyton doesn't like you back. He won't ever like you back. You need to move on."

"Jules, listen." Danny chimed in. Julian shot a glare his way. "Maybe the reason Tom acts the way he does around Peyton is because this is his first genuine crush on someone at our school. He doesn't know how to feel in those kind of situations. Peyton isn't the next guy on Tom's dating hit-list; Peyton is the love of Tom's life...even if our guy is a nutjob..."

" _Hey!_ " Tom interjected, pouting.

"You know I love you." Danny shook his head. "Anyway, Julian, you have to circumspect the entire issue, not just stay on one part of it."

"Whatever." Julian huffed. "I just know that Peyton is nothing but trouble."

"Trouble?" Rob asked.

"He's an ass, Tom. Cocky, arrogant, a smartass. He's the worst, and it doesn't help that he's pretty much the smartest guy in the entire school."

"Sounds like someone's jealous." Danny smirked. 

"What?! No, I'm not _jealous_ of Peyton. And who knows, Tom might be attracted to Peyton just because he's smart. Don't rag on me!"

"You know, there's more to a person than brains..." Tom muttered out loud. "And is it wrong for me to think that Peyton is gorgeous?"

"Well, to you, apparently not." Julian answered bluntly. "To me, yes. Peyton isn't even that pretty. He's not eye candy like you are. He's on the bottom of the latter for a reason. His younger brother is higher than he is!"

"Well, yeah." Rob nodded. "Eli's got four best friends; Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton, Brock Osweiler, and Russell Wilson. Those five have hung out for years, based on what I know. It ups Eli's dork-factor to me, but I guess I can't deny that he's... _adorkable_."

"You did _not_ just..." Danny groaned.

"I did, and I gotta say I'm pretty proud of myself for it."

"You're too much sometimes, Gronk." Danny laughed, shaking his head with a smile on his face.

"Aw, Danny, I can't be too much for you..." Rob chuckled, punching Danny's arm playfully.

"Stop, man..." Danny laughed with a guilty smile on his face.

"Uh, guys? _Hello?_ " Tom waved at Rob and Danny. "I hate to break up your little flirt fest, but the big cheese of this group, which is, um, yours truly, has a big problem."

"Sorry." Rob and Danny spoke in unison, a moderate blush on both of their faces.

"Anyway..." Tom cleared his throat. His gaze went back to Julian. "I don't like that you're not supportive of my crush."

"How can I be supportive? It's a one sided crush, not the newest high school love story."

"Stop being jealous of Peyton!" Tom shouted.

"I'm not- you know what, I don't need this." Julian concluded as he got up from the recliner. He looked from Tom to Danny to Rob before he promptly decided to leave them, slamming Tom's front door behind him.

* * *

  _Whoosh!_

The front door to the Manning house flew open as Peyton stormed inside. His head was still stained with crimson and his eyes were fresh with hot tears. Slamming the door behind him, he plopped down onto the couch and held his head in his hands. 

And that caught Eli's attention.

"Peyton?" Eli asked, leaving the nearby kitchen and rushing over to his older brother. "You okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Peyton spat in a shaky voice. "Just go back to what you were doing, Eli. I'm _fine_."

"You don't sound fine." Eli argued. He took Peyton's wrists in his hands and tried to pull them away from his head. "C'mon, Peyt, let me see what's wrong."

"No!" 

"Peyton, let me see!"

"No! Get off, Eli!"

"Peyton...!" Eli pulled Peyton's wrists back forcefully which exposed the blood and tears that decorated the entirety of Peyton's head. 

"Oh my God," Eli gasped, covering his mouth. Tears were starting to form in his eyes at the brutal sight. "Peyton, what happened to you?!"

Peyton sighed in defeat. He hoped that he could hide the injury from his little brother, but that seemed to backfire at this point. "Luke happened."

" _Luke?_ " Eli asked bitterly. "That asshole hurt you? How dare he do that!"

"I thought he was going to leave me alone ever since last year, but fucking Tom comes in and we meet again. That ass needs to leave me alone. Why can't he see that I don't like him?!"

"I'm not sure, Peyton." Eli replied, both of his hands on Peyton's shoulders. "But what matters now is your getting your injury tended to. Stay here. I'll get the rubbing alcohol and gauze."

"Hurry back, E." Peyton called as he watched Eli walk away towards the first aid kit that they kept in storage. As Peyton sat alone, he pondered his own thoughts.

_What the fuck?! Why?! Why me?! Why did Tom have to interfere with everything in my life?! I can't do shit anymore by myself without "Mr. Perfect" coming in and ruining it! I just...why?! WHY?!_

"Peyton?" 

"Huh?" Peyton blinked, his green eyes meeting with Eli's brown ones. He then felt a sharp pain sizzling on his forehead. " _Ow...!_ "

"Sorry." Eli spoke sheepishly. "You have some open cuts, so the rubbing alcohol is gonna sting. That or the loose feathers on the cotton ball are in your skin."

"How about both? _Aah_..." Peyton hissed, clutching the arms of the small couch. "It burns..."

"Suck it up, you big baby." Eli teased, watching Peyton grow agitated.

"I'll 'big baby' you, baby brother." Peyton teased back.

"Shut up! Don't use my joke against me!"

"Make me shut up!" Peyton mocked. Eli raised the cotton ball up into the air, away from the wounds.

"Fine. If you're gonna be this way, I guess I'll stop cleaning your injury. Then you'll earn lovely little infections."

"Like I care. I know you're gonna come back and tend to me."

"Oh yeah? You think I'm so predictable?" Eli challenged.

"Eli, I know about the blue stuffed bear you secretly still sleep with. And here I thought you stopped with that after your eleventh birthday."

"Uh, _I don't sleep with a stuffed bear_..." Eli laughed. "You must be high. Guess I used too much rubbing alcohol."

"I know its name."

"Oh yeah? What is it?"

"Mr. Giant." That caused Eli to blush in embarrassment. He sighed in defeat before mustering up his challenge once more. 

"But still, I'm gonna go and leave you here. Goodbye." Eli took the cotton ball and rubbing alcohol and left the living room, walking into the hallway. It was almost five minutes later when he came back.

"I hate you."

"Told you so." Peyton laughed as Eli went back to tending the wounds and wrapping them with gauze.

"There you go." Eli smiled as Peyton stood up. "Now, all you need to do is take some painkillers and go to bed. Can you do that?"

" _Yes, I can_." Peyton answered in a mocking tone. "I won't make a stupid decision, okay?"

"Good. And if you do, remember that I love you and I still want you on the planet."

"I'm not _that_ much of an emo, Eli."

"Who ever said you were a complete one?"

"Uh...you did..." Peyton gave a confused look before he had a straight face. "Who's in a phase?"

"Brock." Eli replied casually. "We're trying to coax him out of it because it's not _him_. I mean, there's nothing wrong with being an emo, but it's not _Brock_."

"I get it." Peyton laughed as he left Eli behind in the living room. After following the bottle's directions and taking the right amount of painkillers, Peyton went into his room, closed the door, and turned off the light.

However, he couldn't sleep. He thought about taking a few more pills to knock him out, but then Eli would find out and skin him alive. So Peyton laid awake in bed, waiting for the painkillers he took to drag him under.

 _Damn, these pills take a long fucking time to work..._ Peyton thought to himself. _But I guess that's normal for these things._

Peyton then turned to lay on his side. _This is all because of Tom and his stupid crush. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have run into Luke again and all this drama wouldn't be attached to me. But no! Fucking Pretty Boy decides to come in and say he's in love with me. What a jackass. Like I'm gonna fall for his stupid flirts and confessions. His tricks aren't gonna work...they're never gonna work._

"He's not gonna get me...ever." Peyton muttered, his eyelids fluttering. "You can try all you want, Pretty Boy, but you'll never get me...ever...ever..."

And Peyton's eyelids closed. His body instantly relaxed as he felt the painkillers take his mind over and shut it down for recovery. The effect clouded his mind and blurred his thoughts, but he still hooked onto one thing; Tom won't ever win him over. And he was going go make sure what he said stays absolutely true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this was late! Hopefully you enjoy though and let me know what you thought! :)


	4. Wise Below His Years

"Hey, have you seen Julian?" Tom opened up as he walked into school. The second he did, he saw Rob and Danny standing right by his locker, and promptly ran over to them.

"Julian?" Rob asked. "We haven't seen him at all. We don't even know if he came to school today."

"Damnit." Tom clenched his fist. "Why do you think he's gone?"

"I don't know." Danny responded. "Jules could still be mad at us for saying he was jealous of Peyton because Peyton is smarter than he is."

"That or he was sick." Rob added.

"Oh, come on." Danny crossed his arms and turned to look at Rob. "Julian could have something like cholera and he would _still_ come to school."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry, Danny, I was just making an assumption." Rob scoffed.

"Well, Gronk, do you know what happens when you assume?"

"What?"

" _You make an ass out of you and me._ "

"Okay, look here, Danny. I-" Rob started to raise his voice and walked towards Danny in an authoritative way before Tom got in between them.

"Whoa, whoa, guys." Tom coaxed. "We're all good friends here. Let's all relax and think likes adults, not five-year-old boys after one broke a blue crayon. Why don't we-"

" _Shut up!_ " Danny and Rob snapped, causing Tom to back away slowly as they began to loudly argue. Still backing away, Tom moved slowly until he found himself looking straight up at the ceiling.

" _Ow!_ " 

"Sorry!" Tom called out as he got to his feet. Below him, he saw Eli on his back, his bag open and papers scattered around him. He leaned down with his hand outstretched in order to help Eli to his feet.

" _HEY! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING WITH MY BROTHER?!_ "

"Huh?" Tom looked up to see a book flying towards his head. As he felt the force of the book, he saw that it was a Science Textbook before he was hoisted up by his blazer.

Tom's eyes met with Peyton's, and he looked angry.

"P-Peyton!" Tom gasped in surprise. "What are you..."

"Making a move on my brother?!" Peyton growled loudly, and Tom could feel himself in the air. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"Peyton, I wasn't trying to-I didn't-"

"Shut up!" Peyton shouted. "You can do whatever you want to me, but you do _not_ touch my little brother!"

"Peyton, relax, I wasn't trying to-"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Peyton then dropped Tom onto his feet and pulled him in to have their foreheads pushed against each other. "If I see you _touch_ or _talk_ to my brother again, _I will kill you._ "

"Peyton, baby-" Tom was then shoved onto his back by Peyton, who went to tend to Eli before both Manning brothers left Tom alone. 

_Damn, Peyton...I didn't mean to fall on top of Eli...I'm sorry..._

"Tom, you okay?" A voice asked. Tom then saw a hand offered to him.

And that hand belonged to Julian.

"Jules?!" Tom asked in relief. Once he got to his feet, he hugged his best friend tightly. "You're okay!"

"Yeah, I am." Julian smiled, his cheeks flushed. "And I want to..."

"No, let me." Tom's hands were on Julian's shoulders. "I'm sorry for being all uptight to you at the meeting. That was wrong of me to do."

"I forgive you, Tom." Julian responded. "I'm sorry for being a bitch to you over Peyton. I should've realized that you... _liked_ him and I shouldn't have been so inconsiderate."

"It's cool, Julian." Tom smiled.

"And...I saw what Peyton did to you over Eli."

"Yeah, but I kinda fell on top of him, so Peyton has every right to be mad at me. He's just protective of Eli, and that kicked in when he saw me on top of his little bro."

"Still, that wasn't fair to you the way he snapped." Julian reasoned. "He was being an asshole, Tom. Don't take that and deal with it. Call him out."

"Jules, I get that, but Peyton is protective of Eli. I fell on top of him and practically crushed him underneath me. He had every right to be mad at me."

"No, he really didn't." Julian argued. He wanted to have Tom understand that Peyton's behavior wasn't justified at all. But why couldn't Tom see that? "Tom, Peyton yelled at you, threw a book which hit you, held you up by your blazer, and threatened to kill you if you even _breathe_ near Eli."

"So?" Tom shrugged.

"Peyton was acting like a complete _bitch_ to you! You're just gonna accept that and move on?" Julian shouted.

"Yeah. Jules, Peyton _loves_ his brother. I don't know the whole story about the Mannings, but neither do you, so don't act like you know that Peyton didn't mean to snap at me. We don't know why he did that, but if I want to win him over, I won't pry."

"But Tom..." Julian tried to object before he watched Tom pick up his stuff and walk away. As Tom left, Julian saw a science textbook left on the floor. He picked it up and looked inside, and the name ' _Peyton Manning_ ' was written in pencil. The handwriting looked very clean and neat.

"This is the book Peyton threw..." Julian mumbled to himself. "No way. Well, at least this gives me a ticket to talk to him about Tom..."

_Yeah, this is perfect._ Julian thought deviously. _Smart little Peyton can't do anything without his trusty little textbook. And when he goes to look for it, it'll be with me and I can tell that asshole to stay away from Tom and if he decides to act the way he did, his ass will be dealt with by me!_

"Watch out, Peyton Manning." Julian smirked as he closed the textbook. "I hope you have something to protect you, because 2nd place is finally going to be getting his revenge at last."

* * *

"Alright, class. That's a wrap for today. See you all tomorrow when we run the mile." The PE coach, Bill Belichick, addressed his class as they were changing out of their PE uniforms. The men all groaned as they continued changing.

"Man, what a workout, right Emmanuel?" One guy laughed, nudging the guy next to him.

"Demaryius, dude, I can barely feel in my legs." Emmanuel breathed as he sat down on the locker room bench. The two guys laughed loudly as chatter filled the room.

"Man, I agree." Rob huffed as he took off his shirt in exchange for the one he wore to the school. "Coach B is killing us with all this exercise."

"Yeah, he is." Tom nodded. As he finished changing he looked past Rob and the other guys in the room to see Coach Belichick motioning for Tom to come to him. Closing his locker and picking up his stuff, Tom walked towards Coach Belichick and closed the door behind him as the two were in the coach's office.

"Hello, Tom." Belichick greeted as he sat at his desk. Tom was across from him. "We need to talk."

"About?" Tom asked, confused.

"Usually, you are the top performing athlete in my class. But now you're...average. What's going on?"

"Nothing, coach. I promise." Tom assured.

"You sure?"

"Yeah...well...there's this guy and he-"

" _Coach Belichick?_ " A voice came through the door.

"Yes? Come in." As soon as Belichick spoke, the door opened to reveal Peyton. He came in with a manila folder in his hand.

"This was from Mr. Rivera. It's the records and schedules for next year's bell." Peyton explained.

"Oh, I see. Thank you, Peyton." Belichick nodded.

"Also, coach, since you have the lost and found here, has anyone turned in a science textbook today? I seemed to have left mine somewhere and I can't find it. It has my name written on the inside cover."

"Hmm...sorry, Peyton, no one came in to give me a science textbook."

"That's okay. I'll keep asking around and looking for it." Peyton smiled in a  half-hearted way. He turned to see Tom, gave a small scowl, and left, closing the door behind him.

"Peyton's a cutie, isn't he?"

" _Huh?_ " Tom turned around to see a smirk on Belichick's face.

"Peyton. He's cute, isn't he?" Belichick repeated, crossing his arms.

"Y-Yeah..." Tom stuttered, his cheeks turning red. "He...He's g-gorgeous..."

"Ah...I see why you've been slipping." Belichick laughed. "You're in love and you want to see Peyton as much as you can, right?"

"How...do you know that?" Tom breathed.

"Experience, Tom." Belichick answered. "Let me see if I can move you from 7th period to 3rd period PE so that you'd be with Peyton. How many classes do you have with him right now?"

"Uh...none." Tom answered. Belichick chuckled quietly as he began writing a schedule change note.

"Here, let me see if I can get the school to change around 3rd and 7th period for you so that you and Peyton can be in the same class."

"You'd really do that?!" Tom asked excitedly. Belichick nodded. "Thanks so much, coach! I promise to be back in top form if this works out. But...now what do I do?"

"I'd go find Peyton's textbook and give it to him. That'll help your chances."

"Okay. Thanks again, Coach B." Tom smiled as he got up and left the office Leaving the gym and entering the main hallway, Tom asked around for a science textbook that should've been found by someone today. With no luck, Tom sees Julian walking his way, and he decides to approach him. 

"Hey, Jules, have you seen a-"

"Science textbook?" Julian finished.

"Yeah. It's-"

"Peyton's and you want to give it to him that he could like you more?"

"...Yeah. So, have you?" Tom asked eagerly.

"You mean... _this?_ " Julian pulled out a green textbook and opened it. Inside, a name was written neatly inside: ' _Peyton Manning_ '.

"Yes! Give it!" Tom reached for the book, but Julian moved it away from him. "Hey!"

"Give up."

"Give up on what?"

"Give up on Peyton."

" _What?! Why?!_ " Tom shouted loudly.

"Because he hates you. He won't ever love you, so why can't you let him go?" Julian asked, annoyed.

"Maybe because I really like him?!" Tom reached over for the book but he couldn't take it from Julian.

"Look, Tom...I-"

" _Has anyone seen my textbook?_ "

"Oh, looks like I gotta go. Bye." Julian concluded as he shoved the textbook into Tom's arms and walked away quickly. Soon, Tom's eyes met with Peyton's. 

Again.

"Uh, I have-" Tom began nervously.

"So you had my book after I threw it at you. I guess I should've remembered to pick it up, but oh well I guess. Doesn't matter anyway since you touched it all over."

"Peyton, baby, I-"

"Don't want to hear it." Peyton put his hand up to shut Tom up. "Give me my book."

"Here." Tom placed it in Peyton's hands and gave a small smile. Peyton simply looked at Tom and said nothing before walking by him. As he was about to turn the hall corner, he glanced back at Tom.

"Oh, and Tom?" Peyton asked innocently.

"Yeah...?" Tom responded.

"Don't take anything I said before about Eli too seriously. I was just mad that you fell on top of my brother. But if I find out you asked him out as a one-date wonder _or_ you touched him in the wrong way, I will _not_ be afraid to kick your ass. Got it?"

"I do." Tom nodded in a quick motion.

"Good." Peyton smiled slightly before turning the corner and leaving Tom behind. Inside, Tom could feel his conscious bouncing off of the walls of his brain.

_Peyton smiled at me!_ Tom thought in excitement. _He smiled at me! Oh my God, I'm so happy! Oh my God...I think I'll need a lot of help after today ends..._


	5. Match Made

 

It was late at night as the alarm of a cell phone blared throughout Tom's room. Groaning, he sat up and fixed his hair the best he could before answering the call.

"Hello?" Tom yawned.

" _Tom?! It's Rob. We need to talk. Now._ " Rob's voice was urgent on the other end of the call. He sounded scared and nervous. 

"What about?" Tom cleared his voice. "Wait, did you find out that Peyton really does like me?!"

" _What-no!_ " Rob shouted. " _Tom, I...I can't...help..._ "

"Rob, what's wrong?"

" _I...think I'm in love with Danny..._ "

Tom froze. A static look of shock was on his face. "You...are in love...with Danny?"

" _Yes! Goddammit, Tom, what the fuck do I do?! I wanna confess, but I don't want Danny to think I'm a nutcase!_ "

"Rob, I doubt he's gonna think you're a nutcase. That's not Danny." Tom spoke coolly. "I can talk to him about you tomorrow, if you'd like. I won't mention your feelings for him."

" _You'd really do that? For me? Really?_ " Rob asked, his speech increasing in speed. " _O_ _h, Tom! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Dude, I SO owe you one!_ "

"No problem, Rob." Tom smirked. "And in return, you get dirt on Peyton for me. Deal?"

" _Deal, bro. See you at school._ " Rob concluded before hanging up the phone. Tom placed his phone back down and got back into bed. That was then interrupted with the sound of his bedroom door opening.

"Don't you know that some people are trying to sleep in this house?"

"Oh? Really?" Tom sat back up, locking eyes with his father. "Sorry about that, Dad. I guess I can't answer urgent calls from my friends when they need me."

"You want to repeat that?"

"You want an honest answer?"

"Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Junior, don't you ever..."

"Use that tone with me again, I _know!_ " Tom whined before laying back down. "Just go back to bed, Dad. Can't we argue about this in the morning?"

"I..." Tom Brady Sr. opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself and left, closing the door behind him. He had to agree with Tom; this issue will be resolved in the morning.

* * *

 

" _Urrgh!_ " Tom growled as he threw his books into his locker. His thoughts, like his speech, were hot and angry. _Stupid Dad, stupid Mom and sisters agreeing with him. I was just helping out my best friend! What's wrong with that?!_

"Well, at least they didn't ground me..." Tom muttered.

"Who didn't ground you?"

"My dad and..." Tom closed his locker and his eyes managed to meet with Eli's. 

" _Eli!_ " Tom clamored, jumping back. "Wha...why are you here?"

"Because I can stand here." Eli answered, shrugging slightly. "And besides, Peyton's at home."

"What?" Tom asked, his face growing in concern. "Is...is he okay?"

"Yeah. He's just sick. It's normal." Eli answered casually.

"He's _sick_ and that's _normal?_ " Tom repeated.

"Yeah. Peyton has never been healthy a day in his life. He was born sick, and he still is sick. If you were related to us, you'd get it."

"Well, is he going to be okay?"

"Maybe." Tom felt his heart stop. "He just has a fever. He'll probably come to school tomorrow."

"Oh." Tom breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, I guess."

"Yeah. I'll tell him that you were worried when school gets out." Eli winked before walking off.

"Thank you!" Tom shouted before going to re-open his locker. He then felt a warm presence next to him.

"Hey, Tom?"

"Yeah? What's up, Rob?" 

"Have you talked to Danny yet?" Rob asked anxiously.

"Not yet, bud, but don't worry, I will." Tom winked as he closed his locker again. "And don't worry too much, everything will be fine."

"I hope so." Rob sighed. 

"Hey, how did you fall in love with Danny anyway?"

"Well, I was asleep, and I had one of those dreams..."

"Oh, _that_ dream?" Tom asked, smirking.

"No...well, okay, sort of. It was the same dream, but instead of that hot, blonde Brazilian chic, it was...Danny."

"Oh, really." Tom nodded. "And then you woke up and realized you like him?"

"Well, no. I participated in... _activities_...with him before waking up and finding that I had my pillow play the role of Danny's chest. Then I figured out that I liked him."

"I see. Sounds quite steamy." Tom winked.

"Yeah, yeah. It's not like I'm the only one who does this, _Tom_." Rob gave a look, which caused Tom to blush.

"I...well, I...I don't..."

"Nah, man, it's cool. So, you gonna talk to Danny for me?"

"For the last time, Rob, yes." Tom smiled.

"Thanks, man!" Rob beamed. "And I promise I'll talk to Peyton for you too."

"Yeah...about that." Tom sighed. "Peyton...isn't here today."

"What? Why isn't he?"

"He's at home with a fever."

"Who told you that?"

"Eli did."

"Eli?" Rob repeated. "You mean Mr. Adorkable?"

"If that's what you call him, then yeah."

"I see. And he's here today?"

"Yeah. You're going to talk to him instead?"

"Uh, yeah!" Rob's tone of voice made it sound like his answer was obvious. "I can see if Mr. Adorkable can tell me anything about his big brother at lunch. It's only fair."

"Thanks, Rob!" Tom clapped as the two hugged. They gave each other another smile before walking away. While Rob managed to get away, Tom ran into another person.

Julian.

"Jules? What is it?" Tom groaned slightly. "I'm kinda busy right now..."

"We need to talk." Julian began.

"About? Look, if it's about Peyton, then I've already told-"

"No. We need to talk about Danny and Rob."

That took Tom aback. He didn't think that Julian knew about Rob's crush. Rob seemed to have expressed that he never told Julian in the first place. "How...do you know about that?"

"Danny called me this morning." And it all made sense to Tom. Rob didn't have to tell Julian because Danny already did. "He asked for a ride to school, and when I picked him up, he blurted out that he had a crush on Rob. I tried asking him about it more, but he wouldn't say anything about it."

"Wow. Really?" Tom asked. "Because Rob called me last night and told me he had a crush on Danny."

"Last night? Didn't that bother your dad?"

"Yeah, but who cares? He's a stubborn grouch who is just so hard on me. I hate that about him."

"Well, it'll get better for you guys someday." Julian smiled as he put his hand on Tom's shoulder, causing him to smile as well before they walked off.

* * *

 

" _Are you sure everything's going okay?_ " Peyton's voice echoed through the cell phone static as Eli ate his lunch. His cell phone was pressed against his ear. " _Pretty Boy's not bothering you, is he?_ "

"Nah, he's not. I think he got the message after your freakout towards him."

" _You know I didn't mean to do that. It was an accidental freakout. I was just looking out for you._ "

"Yeah, I know. It's okay. So, how do you feel?"

" _I feel like shit. But I think the mucus is starting to drain out of my lungs. I guess the fever is starting to go away._ "

"That's good. Do you think you'll be able to come to school tomorrow?"

" _Possibly. I don't know. It could come back overnight and I could feel like crap tomorrow. I'm just lucky to be talking to you without me choking on the gross fluid in my lungs._ "

"I'm sure you are lucky. Okay, I want you to eat, take the fluids you need, and take a nap or two. Oh, and check your temperature frequently. I want you to feel better."

" _Thanks, and I'll try. I love you, baby brother._ "

"Love you too." Eli smiled before hanging up. As soon as he put his phone away, he felt hands clench his shoulders tightly.

" _Aaaaaugh!_ "

"Ha! You're too easy!"

" _Rob?!_ "

"Yes, sir!" Rob laughed as he took a seat next to Eli on the bench in the outdoor eating area. "So, E, we need to talk."

"About?" Eli asked curiously. 

"Your big brother."

"Look, Rob, tell Tom that Peyton isn't interested..."

"No, not that." Rob assured. "I mean, yeah, Tom sent me, but it's just for some...info on Peyton. C'mon, can't you tell me anything about your big bro?"

"Well..." Eli pondered, tapping his chin. "His birthday's March 24th, he's an Aries, born in the year of the Dragon, has dirty blonde hair and green eyes, he's tall and skinny...need anything else?"

"Seriously?" Rob snickered. "You're a dork, Eli. A complete dork."

"Yeah, I am. If you don't like it, then then the door's over there." Eli pointed to the cafeteria doors, a smile on his face. Rob grew a smile as well before the two broke out laughing.

"You're pretty funny, E." Rob laughed between his words. "Not to mention cute and dorky. I guess you do live up to my nickname for you."

"What's my nickname...?"

"Mr. Adorkable."

"Oh, wow...that's really nice." Eli spoke nervously, blushing slightly.

"Yeah. You know, you're gonna get a nice guy someday."

"Thanks." Eli smiled, his blush growing darker. 

"So...could I get anymore info on Peyton?" 

"Uh, no. I think that'll be enough for Tom."

"Hey, Eli!" A hand waved in the air. It belonged to a very tall guy with curly black hair and tanned skin.

"Yo, Brock!" Eli waved back. He looked to Rob with a bright smile. "I gotta go. Nice talking with you, though!"

"But...!" Rob tried to call out but he stopped as Eli walked away to his friend. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and got up to leave the lunchroom. As he walked through the hallway, he saw another shadow approaching him, and by seeing where the shadow came from, it stopped Rob cold.

It was Danny.

"...Rob?" Danny asked as they stood across from one another.

"D-Danny!" Rob stuttered. "H-Hi!"

"Hey...um, can we talk?"

"Sure. What about?"

"Look, um, Rob..." Danny's speech grew shaky and nervous as he looked to the ground nearby. "There's something I really want to tell you, and don't freak out when I tell you, okay?"

"No problem, Danny." Rob smiled, blushing. He was anxious to know what Danny wanted to tell him, but in the back of his mind there was a prayer for a confession of love.

"Well, uh, Rob, remember when I got kinda annoyed at your 'adorkable' pun about Eli?"

"Yeah...?"

"Well, in that moment, along with what we said to each other afterward...I realized that I...had feelings for you. I still do."

"Danny...I-"

"I really hope this isn't weird!" Danny blurted out. "I mean, you are just so handsome and I'm sure you're probably into Eli and you have guys wanting to date you and..."

"Danny!" Rob interrupted, placing his hands on Danny's shoulders. "Let me speak for once, dude!"

"I...okay."

"Danny, to be honest...I like you back. Yeah, I know I'm hot, and yeah I know I have guys chasing me like Tom does, but it's less of course. But they don't compare to you Danny. I like _you._ And sure, Eli's pretty attractive, but my eyes are focused on you."

"Oh. Cool." Danny answered, a deep red color on his cheeks. Rob reciprocated the same color on his cheeks. "So does that mean...?"

"Yeah, I think we're a couple now." Rob laughed. He reached out and took Danny's hand in his own. They smiled wide as they stepped closer to each other. With their chests against one another, Danny and Rob leaned towards each other and they felt their lips touch. And they touched over and over again as hands flew into the other's hair. Danny moaned softly before the two pulled away.

"Hey, boyfriend?" Rob asked with a smile, winking.

"Yeah?"

"I think I have the perfect couple name for us."

"And what is that?" 

" _Amen...kowski._ Amenkowski. Amendola and Gronkowski. You like?"

"I _love._ " Danny smiled as he leaned up to kiss Rob's cheek before the couple walked towards the lunchroom hand in hand.


	6. Left Behind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got busy, sorry about that. Here's the new chapter!

"Peyton!" Eli called out, his voice echoing down the hallway. "Peyton, hello?! _Peyton!_ "

" _What?!_ " Peyton answered back, his voice muffled.

"I'm going...where are you?!"

" _I'm in the shower! Where are you going?_ "

"Brock's coming to pick me up and we're going to meet up with Cam, Colin, and Russell for a guys' night out."

" _Where will all of you go?_ "

"The movies, a new restaurant, and a drive around the city. Nothing illegal, I promise!"

" _Okay! Call me if things get uncomfortable, okay? Please be safe!_ "

"I will! Love you, big bro!"

" _Love you too!_ " Eli smirked as he took a key to the front door and left. Walking down the stone pathway, he saw Brock waiting by his slick red car. His outfit was lightly stained with oil.

"Hey, E." Brock greeted, talking Eli's hand in his own for a shake. "How's it hanging?"

"It's been good." Eli smiled. His eyes darted around Brock's outfit. "Why's your outfit all dirty?"

"I was working on my car before I got the text from Cam." Brock explained. "Is it noticeable?"

"Uh, yeah, it is." Eli laughed as he got in the passenger side of the car, aptly nicknamed the Ozmobile by Brock. "So, um...how's life for you?" 

"It's been good. Nothing much. Cam's still crushing on that Luke guy..."

"Luke Kuechly?"

"Yeah...hey, didn't your brother date Luke sometime last year?"

"Yeah...he did...I'd rather not talk about it. It was a bad time for Peyton...it hurts just to think about it."

"Sorry I asked, man." Brock frowned, a little bothered by his choice to ask. "Didn't mean to bring up the past."

"It's alright." Eli smiled, and Brock smiled back at him. 

"Hey, so how's Papa Peyton been doing?"

"He's...doing okay. Still gets really sick and all." Eli answered slowly. "Not only that, the memory of Luke still haunts him, and now he has Tom Brady chasing after him."

"Whoa, Tom Brady?" Brock asked in shock. " _Pretty Boy_ Tom Brady?! Dude, that's amazing! Papa Peyton has got to be proud of himself if the most popular guy in school likes him!"

"Yeah, you think that." Eli laughed sarcastically. "Peyton doesn't like him. Actually, he can't stand him. So, he finds Tom as more of a problem than a blessing."

"And what's Tom to you?"

"I think he'd be nice for Peyton. I mean, the vibe he gives me is that he'd protect Peyton and care for him. And after Luke, I think that's the kind of guy Peyton needs, despite how many times he'll say no."

"Ha!" Brock laughed. "Well, hopefully Tom and Peyton do become a couple. I think it'd be nice to see your brother smile because someone loves him for...well, him."

"Thanks, Brock." Eli beamed. "That means a lot."

"No problem, Eli. So...any cute guys for you?"

"Well...maybe."

" _Dude!"_ Brock cheered as he stopped at a red light. "Spill the beans! Who is it?!"

"Um, uh...Rob." Eli spoke quickly, a blush on his face.

"Rob...Gronkowski?" Brock asked.

"Um...uh...er-"

" _No way!_ " Brock cried, the car speeding up again. "That's awesome! Shy little Eli Manning and big party boy Rob Gronkowski! I can see you two now!"

"Brock, shut up...!" Eli slapped his arm as the movie theater was in their line of sight. His face was as red as a tomato. "C'mon..."

"Haha, don't worry, E. I won't tell. Does Peyton know?"

"No."

"No? But it's Papa Peyton! He's gotta know!"

"Yeah, when I want to see him explode." Eli scoffed. "There's no way Peyton's gonna find out that I have a crush on Rob. He'll kill me."

"Okay, suit yourself." Brock shrugged as he pulled the car into a parking space and turned it off. Both he and Eli got out and walked towards the movie theater, but Brock stopped cold.

"Brock?" Eli asked. "What's wrong?"

"They're...not here." Brock answered. "Russ, Colin, Cam...they're not here."

"Are we early?"

"No, we're actually kinda late." Brock replied. "But...why aren't they here waiting?"

"I don't know-"

"Well! What do we have here?"

"Huh?" Brock asked, turning around. He saw Luke with Cam, Russell, and Colin beside him. "Guys?! Why are you with _him?_ What are you doing?!"

"Realizing where we belong, and that's with Luke, _not_ Eli." Cam answered. "And you belong here too, Brock."

"Fuck that!" Brock replied. "You all are being brainwashed! Eli is our best friend! Why are you gonna ditch him like this?!"

"Because I told them where their priorities lie." Luke answered. "And you belong here too, stupid. Ozzy, what can Eli give you that I can't? Oh, right, nothing. You'll see that you will come over to us and drop Eli for good, just like I dropped his brother."

"You're an ass." Brock spat. "A Grade-A asshole. Go away, Luke."

"Shut up." Luke snapped, jolting Brock back slightly. "And I can make you come over here too. Either you ditch that little bitch next to you or you'll be socially dead. It's me or him, Ozzy. Pick one."

"I...I..." Brock stuttered nervously as he looked from Luke to Eli. His body shook before he relaxed, his choice made.

"I...I'm sorry..." Brock's eyes looked over to Eli, and he saw the sadness in Eli's brown eyes.

"I'm sorry, Eli...for having us run into this chump." Brock concluded, his eyes glaring at Luke. "I can take you home and we can hang with Papa Peyton, if you want."

"I can't say no to that." Eli crossed his arms. Brock smiled before looking to Cam, Russell, and Colin.

"You guys are pathetic. If you were real friends, you wouldn't be bribed with popularity. We're leaving. Have fun in you new life, boys."

"Whatever." Colin shrugged. 

"I really could care less. You guys weren't that fun to hang with anyway." Russell added.

"Luke'll be better to us anyway. See you never." Cam waved as Luke led him and the other two boys away. Brock gripped Eli's upper arm and led him back to the car.

"Call Peyton." Brock stated, pulling back into the street.

"Okay." Eli responded, finding Peyton's number through speed dial. The ringer buzzed in his ear.

" _Hello?_ "

"Peyton? It's Eli."

" _Hey, Eli! Is everything okay?_ "

"Uh..." Eli looked over to Brock before thinking of his answer. "Can I tell you the story when we get back home? Brock's taking me back home."

" _Sure. Do you want Brock to stay with us and hang out? I can put in a movie and make some dinner for you guys._ "

"That'd be great, Peyton. Thanks."

" _No problem, Eli. I'll be here when you get home. Love you. Bye._ "

"Okay. Love you too, Peyton. Bye." Eli concluded as he heard the line fall dead. Putting his phone away, he looked to Brock, who met his gaze, before both of them took in the streets ahead, going back to the Manning house where Peyton would be waiting.

* * *

" _Hello, angel._ " Tom whispered quickly as he leaned over to Peyton's ear and spoke. That caused Peyton to jump and his belongings dropped to the ground. 

"Tom, what the hell?!" Peyton asked, annoyed.

"Just wanted to say 'hi' to my favorite person. Is that such a crime?"

"It is when that person has a lot of things in his arms." Peyton sighed, leaning down to pick everything up. Tom bent down and helped him, and together they placed everything back into Peyton's locker. As Tom stood right behind Peyton, his pushed his hips against Peyton's back. Tom then found himself across the hall.

"What was that?!" Peyton asked loudly as Tom walked back over to him.

"I was helping you." Tom answered casually. 

"Yeah, helping me get all horny! Why did you push the bulge in your pants into my back?"

"...I got excited. I felt like I needed to let you feel how much I wanted you, baby."

"Stop calling me that." Peyton spat. "And don't call me 'angel' either. Just...don't do that!"

"Aw, come on, I didn't hurt you. Please, Peyton, I want you to know that. I didn't and I wouldn't ever hurt you."

"Well, you sure as hell want to embarrass me in front of everyone." Peyton turned away to tend to his locker. Tom's expression behind him was one of defeat and a tinge of hurt.

"If I do ever embarrass you, it's only because I love you."

Peyton froze. "What?"

"I love you, Peyton." Tom repeated, firm with his answer. "I don't want you to be someone I date once and move on from. I want to be with you until the end of time. And if you don't believe me, then I can just leave."

Tom put his hands on Peyton's arms and turned him around so that their eyes met. Tom's hands were then on Peyton's hips. "But I want you to know this; I have never said something like this to any guy I've dated _ever_. I'm madly in love with you, Peyton. It's eating me alive everytime I close my eyes. I want you and only you. It's you, Peyton...it's you. It's always gonna be you."

"Tom..." Peyton shook his head, pushing Tom's hands away. The second they were off, Tom placed them back onto Peyton's hips. He pulled Peyton to him, their chests touching, which made Tom wrap his arms around Peyton. "Please let go..."

"I'm not letting go. Peyton, please...I need you to know that I love you. I'm not lying to you nor am I trying to intentionally hurt you. Peyton, I love you so much. I never want to put you in harm's way. If I do...then I don't know what I'd do with myself."

"Don't be like this. I can't be that important to you." Peyton spoke sadly. "Tom, you don't love me like you say you do. Just...stop while you can. You're fooling yourself."

"But Peyton..." Tom's voice was shaky as Peyton pushed him away.

"Stop it, Tom. This isn't _you_. You don't love me. I've been in this situation before, and it ended badly. This will end badly too. Just...leave me alone. Please."

"Peyton...!" Tom cried out as he watched Peyton walk away from him. He could feel tears falling down his cheeks, overcome by grief and heartbreak. He then fell to his knees.

" _Tom!_ " Julian shouted as he, Rob, and Danny ran to his side. They helped Tom to his feet and he felt Rob holding him.

"Tom, what happened?" Danny asked in worry.

"I...I realized something..." Tom whimpered.

"That Peyton isn't the guy for you?" Julian asked, hopeful for his guess being right.

"No...I...I..."

"Yes, Tom?" Rob asked.

"... _I'm in love with Peyton._ "

The words came out slowly and in large breaths. Rob and Danny looked to each other and nodded contently, but Julian frowned. It hurt to see Tom so broken down over someone. However, Julian had the deepest hope that he would be the one Tom cried over, not Peyton. 

But there was no such thing.

"Hey, it'll be okay..." Rob cooed as he and Danny patted Tom's back in support. "You'll get over him..."

"I can't...I can't get over him." Tom pulled away and wiped his eyes. "No matter what, I'm in love with Peyton. And nothing can change that. But I can't believe it..."

"You can't believe what?" Danny asked. "That you're actually in love?"

"Yeah...my vow really was broken...I...guys, I need Peyton. I need Peyton now."

"Tom, we can't-" Julian began, cut off by Tom standing up.

"I need Peyton!" Tom declared breaking off into a run. " _Peyton!_ "

" _Tom!_ " Rob, Julian, and Danny screamed as they watched Tom run away from them. They stood frozen in work before Julian took off after him.

"Jules, wait!" Danny cried. "Where are you going?!"

"After Tom!"

"Why?" Rob asked, holding Danny's hand.

"Because he can't love Peyton!" Julian shouted as he disappeared. His footprints echoed both in the halls and in his mind. _He can't love Peyton...he has to love me._


	7. Spies

This wasn't what Peyton really wanted. One second he was hopefully that he'd be able to work on the newly assigned Physics project alone (the first one of the year with a year-long partner), and the next second he got one of Tom's friends as a partner.

_Sure, Danny's a Science whiz, but I'm more than capable of working alone. And if he's anything like Tom, he's gonna be left for academic dead. I can guarantee that._

"Hey, Peyton." Danny greeted, waving to his partner. Danny stood right by Peyton's table.

"Hi, Danny. Look..."

"Don't worry, I'm nothing like Tom, if you're wondering." Danny assured. "I'm not crazy or high-strung or madly 'in love' with you. I'm just your average science-loving guy who has a boyfriend already."

"I guess that's good news." Peyton sighed. "I guess since we have all this time, let me make an offer to you; we work on the project as much as we can this period, and I'll let you come over to my house so we can finish it off. It'll be you and me, Amendola, no one else. Eli's going to be out with a friend. How does that sound?"

"I can agree with that." Danny nodded. 

"Oh, and if Tom is mentioned at _all-_ "

"I promise, I swear, Tom won't be brought up." Danny swiped his fingers over his heart. "Cross my heart."

"Good." Peyton spoke firmly before he enamored a smirk on his face. "We're in business then."

* * *

 "You _what?!_ "

"Peyton is my project partner. I really don't know how else to explain it to you."

"Wow!" Tom threw his hands up. "That's amazing! You have to dig up some dirt on him, for me...please?"

"Tom," Danny sighed. "I don't know if I really should..."

"Please, Danny?" Tom pouted, puppy-dog eyes coming out.

"Well...I'll try."

"Thank you, thank you, _thank you!_ " Tom cheered, hugging Danny tightly. "Dude, I owe you one!"

"Hey, Tommy, back off of my boyfriend okay?" Rob asked, smirking lightly. Tom backed off. "And hey, when will I get my reward for talking to Mr. Adorkable?"

"Well, what do you want?" Tom asked, folding his arms on the lunch table.

"Hmm...let me think about it..."

"ROB!" The table chorused. Tom, Julian, and Danny shot him looks.

"What?"

"Dude, you just asked about your reward for digging up dirt on Peyton, but you don't even know what you want?" Danny asked, trying to make sense of Rob's answer.

"Hey, you know I'm not fast." Rob pointed out.

"I don't care! You can't say anything like that without knowing what you want!"

"So what, Danny?" Rob argued. "I can say whatever the hell I want!"

"No, you can't!"

"Yes, I can! It's a free country!"

"Oh yeah, believe that stupid lie." Danny leaned back, seemingly frustrated. "That's just a bunch of bullshit! It's an excuse to 'express your opinion'. Stupid if you ask me."

"You know what?"

"What?"

Rob stood up, picking up his lunch tray in the process. "I can't sit here and argue with this nutcase anymore! Have fun walking home, 'Dola!"

"Fine! Fuck you too!" Danny spat as Rob stomped away from the table. Julian got up and went after him, leaving Tom and Danny alone.

"Uh...sorry you, um, fought with your boyfr-" Tom began.

"Don't say the 'b' word. He doesn't mean shit to me." Danny growled, twirling his wet noodles around on the plastic school tray. "Just...don't say anything about Rob."

"Okay...and about tonight-"

"I'll still talk to Peyton. Don't worry." Danny responded as he stood up. He took his tray, threw away the leftover food, grabbed his backpack, and left Tom alone at the lunch table.

And all Tom wished for is how fast Julian could come back. He didn't want to be left alone in the tension.

* * *

 "Danny." Peyton sounded surprised ad he opened the front door to the Manning house. "You're here early."

"Yeah. Is that a crime?" Danny asked bitterly, bypassing Peyton to get into the house.

"No, but being an asshole is." Peyton muttered closing the front door. 

"This is your place?"

"Yeah."

"It looks pretty nice." Danny smiled slightly before turning to look at Peyton. "Can't say the same for your outfit."

"Hey, don't rag on what I wear." Peyton crossed his arms. He wore orange plaid pajama bottoms and a baggy white T-shirt. He was barefoot on the slick wooden floor. "I had a migraine earlier, so I had some painkillers and took a nap."

"Painkillers? Are you taking drugs?"

"Absolutely not." Peyton fumed. "I have a brother I need to care for. Why the hell would I take drugs and waste our money?"

"Good point." Danny nodded. "Then...are you on some kind of medication?"

"No. There's nothing wrong with me." Peyton replied. "I just take painkillers whenever I get headaches or migraines. They last for awhile, so I take a painkiller or two to reduce the time of the pain, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah. Well, as long as everything's okay, Peyton." Danny replied. Peyton nodded and smiled a bit.

"Everything's fine, thanks. Now let's get to work."

* * *

 "Call him!"

"Don't call him!"

"Tom, if you call him, you can listen in on their conversation."

"If you don't call, they'll actually have a conversation and Danny can tell you everything that happened."

"If you call, then you can learn everything about Peyton and you can get dirt on him!"

"Don't listen to Jules! If you want a shot with Peyton, don't call!"

" _GUYS!_ " Tom screamed, shutting Rob and Julian up. "Look, guys, I appreciate your arguments, with Julian telling me to call and Rob saying not to call...but this is my decision."

"Alright..." Rob sighed.

"Fine." Julian spat quietly. 

"I've decided...Rob, dial Danny on my phone."

"Okay..." Rob sighed, shaking his head over the fact that Julian won for the wrong reasons. He took Tom's phone into his hand and speed-dialed Danny. The phone buzzed a few times, and each time caused Rob to feel anxious.

" _Hello?_ "

"Tom," Rob hissed. Tom's eyes were cast in his direction. "It's Danny."

"Oh!" Tom called. "Coming!" Rushing over to the phone, Tom pulled it into his hands and up to his ear. "Danny?"

" _Tom?_ " Danny whispered. He looked at Peyton, who was working on the project, before turning his attention to his phone. "Why did you call?"

" _So that I can listen on on your conversation with Peyton! What else?_ "

"Tom, I swear-"

"Tom?" Peyton asked. "Did the name 'Tom' just come out of your mouth?"

"W-What?" Danny asked, stuttering. "No! What came out of my mouth...was...Mom! Mom. My mom is calling me, that's all. Don't worry, Peyton, this is a Tom-free zone. I promise."

"This better be." Peyton sighed as he went back to working on the project. Danny turned around, keeping the phone close to his mouth.

"Look, I'm gonna put you guys on speaker phone. Don't say anything, though. Got it?"

" _Deal. You'll be on speaker too._ " Tom answered as he enabled Speaker Mode. Danny turned his on ad placed it on the middle of the coffee table.

"So, Peyton..." Danny began.

"Yeah?" Peyton answered, his eyes on his notebook.

"What do you like to do for fun?"

"What?" Peyton asked in response, his eyes on Danny. "Why did you ask that?"

"Well, you're gonna be my science partner for the whole year; I think it'd be nice to get to know you."

"Uh...okay?" Peyton responded. "Well, I like to read a lot. I don't really do much other than eat, sleep, and read."

"Really? You don't do any sports or after school clubs?" Danny asked.

"No. I've got to care for Eli and do my schoolwork. I'm constantly busy." Peyton answered. "I'd love to have a day or a week or even a whole millennium to myself, but it's not gonna happen."

"Oh." Danny sighed. "Well, um...what's your favorite subject in school?"

"History."

"Favorite foods?"

"Pizza and chicken parmesian."

"Favorite time of day?"

"Nighttime."

"Favorite colors?"

"Blue and white."

"Wow." Danny breathed. "Um...favorite animal?"

"Horses."

"Favorite person?"

"Do I seriously need to answer that?" Peyton asked. He sighed when Danny nodded. "It's obvious-Eli."

"Right." Danny nodded. "Do you have feelings for anyone?"

"Huh?"

"Like, do you have a crush on anyone?"

"Oh." Peyton breathed. "Uh, no."

Danny could see Tom's shocked expression in his mind when Peyton gave his answer. "You don't have feelings for anyone?"

"No. Having a love-life takes up too much time and is just too stressful. I have more important things to do in my life that to find someone to love."

"Well, uh, that's some answer you had then." Danny replied. "You know, I know someone who has a crush on you."

"I thought we agreed to not talk about him." Peyton growled.

"I didn't say his name..."

"But still, Danny. I don't like him."

"Why not?" Danny asked, frowning. "Tom isn't as much of an asshole as you think he is. He's caring, kind, smart, supportive, and not to mention how good he looks."

"So?" Peyton asked, his body tensing up. "He's the pretty boy. He uses his looks and charm to woo guys and use them. How is that something worth falling in love for?"

"Peyton-"

"If he _actually_ gave a damn like he says he does about me, he wouldn't act like that, would he?!"

"He...he wouldn't." Danny sighed. "You have a point, but..."

"But what?!"

"... _Tom loves you._ " Peyton stopped. His body relaxed as his cheeks flared in his emotional state. His eyes shimmered as he stood up. Danny got up next to him. 

"He does _not-_ "

"Yes, he _does!_ " Danny shouted, gripping Peyton's arms. "Look, Peyton, you can think I'm brainwashed all you want, but I'm telling the truth. Tom absolutely loves you, Peyton. From your appearance to your personality, Tom can't find one flaw. He loves everything that is you, Peyton. Why can't you accept that?"

"Because he's just like every other handsome guy in the world; a player!" Peyton shoved Danny off of him. "Ever since he gained his title, Tom has used other guys at the school. He's had one date with almost every guy in the school, and I'm not joining that damn list. Neither is Eli. He can go off and date someone else, but he will _not_ put me or Eli in his book of one-and-dones!"

"Peyton..." Danny sighed. Peyton was making all the right points, but he wasn't listening to was Danny was saying himself. "Listen to me."

"About what?"

"Tom."

"Ugh." Peyton scoffed. "I'm done with this and done with him. Danny, I think it's time you left. I'll finish the project in the morning."

"Okay." Danny sighed as he collected his work and handed it to Peyton. As he walked out of the door, Peyton looked down to see Danny's phone on the coffee table. Picking it up, he could hear three voices on the other end: Julian's, Rob's...and Tom's.

 _That jackass!_ Peyton thought angrily. _Tom was listening on our whole conversation the entire time!_

" _Hey, Danny!_ " Peyton shouted, which caused Danny to turn around. " _You can have this back, you dirty spy!_ "

"Wha-" Danny was about to ask before his cell phone hit him in the head. It fell to the solid ground, the screen cracking on impact. When Danny picked up his phone again, the door to the Manning house was shut and all lights were off but the front light and one light from an upstairs window. Danny frowned, looking down at his phone. The screen was completely shattered, and he didn't know what to do at that point. Getting into his car, Danny slowly pulled away from the house and cruised down the street of the gated community. 

 _I was so stupid to have answered that call_. Danny thought in melancholy. _Now Peyton doesn't trust me. I've got to make this right, I've just gotta...but how on earth do I do that?_


	8. Distressed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two people realize how they truly feel, and it leads to something brand new.

"Make way! The king is coming through!" Rob's shouts echoed through the hallway as he walked behind Julian, then Tom, then Danny. "Make way for Julian Edelman; the king of quizzing!"

"That's right!" Danny chorused after him. "Julian's the king, the slayer of quizzes! Watch out before you get nerded out!"

"Okay, guys," Julian laughed, stopping by his locker. "Relax, relax. It's no big deal that I'm the master when it comes to JV Quiz."

"Uh, yeah it is!" Tom argued with a smile. "It makes you the smartest guy in the school! It's official!"

"It's official, huh?"

"Peyton!" Tom cheered as he, Rob, Julian, and Danny watched Peyton and Eli walk up to them. "Hi!"

"I heard that Julian's the smartest guy in the school." Peyton stated, dissing Tom's greeting.

"That's right, Manning." Julian spoke smugly. "I got the highest score for entering the JV team. It's a pretty big deal to get on that team; you gotta be a _real genius_ to get in there."

"Oh, and what did you get?"

"A ninety-five." Julian smirked. "And I'm assuming you _didn't_ try their test?"

"No..." Peyton looked at the ground, smiling. "No, I _did_ try."

"Yeah... _what?!_ " Julian's mood changed when he heard what Peyton said.

"That's right, Edelman. I took that test like you did."

"And what did you get?" Danny asked.

"Is it any of your business?!" Peyton snapped. Danny shook his head; he only knew one solution.

"Look, Peyton...I'm sorry about our work night." Danny sighed. "I knew that these three were gonna call and want to listen in...and it was just a mess. I should have been more honest with you. You're my science partner, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you. I was stupid for allowing these three to listen in." Danny gestured to Rob, Julian, and Tom. "I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"...Fine." Peyton sighed, slightly annoyed. "I forgive you, Danny. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna trust you with anything."

"That's okay." Danny smiled. "Now, what did you get?"

"I aced it."

Everyone but Peyton and Eli stood still, their mouths slightly agape. Julian's was the largest, his eyes widened to the size of sausages.

" _You aced it?!_ " Julian finally shouted. "That's not possible!"

"Oh, but it is." Peyton laughed smugly, leaning towards Julian's face. "Looks like there's a new guy taking the mantle of 'smartest guy in the school'. Sorry about that, Julian."

"But...but..." Julian stuttered, an expression of heartbreak on his face.

"We should be going." Peyton spoke coolly, wrapping an arm around Eli's shoulders before walking off.

"He's so _amazing_..." Tom cooed dreamily.

"Amazing?!" Julian fumed, causing Tom's attention to turn to him. "Really, Tom?! I'm your best friend! You should be supporting me, not him!"

"Sorry...you-you're right." Tom nodded his head. "I shouldn't let my crush blind me from my friend. Sorry."

"Thank you." Julian scoffed. "Now, come on, Tom. You and I are going to be studying our competition."

"The other team?"

"No."

"The other guys on this school's team...?"

"No!"

"Then who?"

" _Peyton!_ "

"I'm down for that." Tom smiled. "Any chance to learn about Peyton is a chance I'll take any day of the week."

"Don't make me sick." Julian groaned. "Come on." Taking Tom's hand in his, Julian trudged down to the only play he knew Peyton would be; the library.

* * *

 

"Look at him." Julian growled, spying on Peyton from afar. "Just...look at him."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Tom laughed. Julian shot him a look. "Heh...look, Jules, we tried the library, his locker, and an empty classroom. Do you seriously see him here in the courtyard?"

"Yeah, look!" Julian pointed to the large tree in the center, and Tom spotted Peyton in a quick second. Peyton sat on a bench near the courtyard tree. Eli came out to him a few seconds later, carrying a paper bag. He began to eat some packed orange slices while Peyton studied his textbook. There was going to be a history test coming up.

"Hey, Peyt-" Tom tried to shout before Julian smacked a hand over his mouth.

"Shh! I don't want Peyton to see us!"

"I want him to see me! I don't know what your problem is."

"My problem is Peyton. He's ruining everything!"

"Can you relax?" Tom scoffed, "You should be more respectful of the guy I love."

" _The guy you love doesn't love you back!_ "

"I'll make him love me."

"You're crazy," Julian shook his head as Tom got up and rushed to Peyton and Eli,  _You're crazy...but I love you. You're my crazy stupid friend that I'm in love with and I can only blame myself._

Julian watched as Tom tried to impress Peyton with words, but the words weren't accepted. Eli simply gigged at the display, and while Julian felt embarrassed for Tom, he couldn't look away. 

_What is wrong with me?_

Julian got to his feet and walked away from the scene before him. He trudged to his locket with his head down, accidentally slamming into his locket. He pulled the door open and stuck his head inside, welcoming the darkness inside it.

_I love Tom_ , Julian thought to himself, _I love_ _him_ _more than_ _anyone_ _else_ _, more than_ _anything_ _else. He means the_ _most_ _to me and I want him to_ _see_ _that. I_ _want_ _him_ _to_ _notice me._

**_But_ ** **_he_ ** **_loves_ ** **_Peyton._ **

"What does Peyton have that I don't?" Julian asked out loud, his words echoing in the locker, "Why does Tom like him so much anyway?"

"I ask myself that every day."

"Huh?!" Julian gasped, hitting his head upon hearing the voice, " _Ow!_ "

"You okay?" the voice asked. Julian pulled himself out of the locker and turned to see Peyton.

"What do you want?!"

"I heard what you said."

"And what? You're mad?"

"No. I wanna help you."

"You do?"

"Yeah. You like Tom, you should go for him. I don't mean to get in your way."

"Wait...seriously? You'd let me swoop in and charm him? You do realize you'd lose all that _special_ attention, right?"

"Good riddance to it. I don't like Tom, Julian. You have every right to pursue him."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Well...thank you, Peyton," Julian closed his locker, smiling at his fellow student, "It means a lot."

"No problem," Peyton smiled as Julian walked off. As he stood in the hallway, a weird feeling hit him.

_I'm_ _glad Julian is gonna_ _pursue_ _Tom, but why do I feel weird? I mean, the attention is suffocating, but_ _it's_ _a little nice...he's the only person--well,_ _other_ _than Eli--that wants me around. Tom isn't..._ ** _him_** _, and that's nice._ _Tom's_ _just_ _different...and I like that._

As soon as the thought came to him, Peyton slammed his back against the lockers and slid down onto the floor. His stomach was turning and the revelation made him feel completely different. How could he be so blind?

_I like Tom._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I finally updated. But I have some news...
> 
> Since I'm growing busy, I decided to not do a whole series of this and I'm only gonna finish this story. I just don't have the time to complete a series for it nor do I have enough inspiration for five 30-chapter stories. This story will have a conclusion, and it'll be good (no cliffhangers), so you can expect that in the future. Hopefully you can stick with me and still enjoy the story from here on out. :)


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